X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Dylan Bundy: Fantasy Baseball Year-in-Review

Chris Zolli reviews Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher (SP) Dylan Bundy's 2018 season to help fantasy baseball owners determine if he is destined to bounce back next year and examines his profile to help owners prepare for their 2019 fantasy drafts.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dylan Bundy was the fourth pick of the 2011 Draft, making the big leagues the very next season. Although he only threw 1 2/3 innings at the end of the season, the righty had ripped through the minors with a 2.08 ERA in 2012, posting a sub-1.00 WHIP and striking out 119 in 103 2/3 innings, and looked like a future ace in Baltimore. Then there were the injuries that kept him out of the big leagues until 2016.

You can argue that it was a classic "too much, too soon" case for the teenager, but Bundy missed the entire 2013 season with Tommy John surgery. He then had shoulder woes and, after all of the promise in 2012, threw only 63 1/3 innings from 2013-2015. Back in the big leagues in 2016, Bundy pitched to a 4.02 ERA and 10-6 record in 109 2/3 innings, but allowed too many hits (109) and only had a 2.48 BB:K ratio. He took a bit of a step forward in 2017 with a 13-9 record and 4.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, priming him for a potential breakout in 2018.

We know how that turned out, as what followed was a 16-loss season with a 5.45 ERA and 41 home runs allowed for a faltering Orioles team that lost 107 games. Still only 26, can Bundy bounce back from a poor season, put his injuries in the past, and be an effective starting pitcher this coming season?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Can Bundy Breakout in 2019?

Before there is too much analysis: Bundy's 2012 minor league season was an outlier in every way shape and form, basically making it impossible to scale to the big leagues. While it is not brilliant to look back at a minor league season from six years ago for projections in 2019, this was the most successful stint of Bundy's pro career and would be the counterpoint to calling Bundy a bust. In 2012, though, Bundy also saw his ERA and WHIP rise at each level and much of his success came from a stint in Low-A where he allowed just seven baserunners in 30 innings. It was impressive that Bundy posted huge stats as a teenager, but not as impressive when you peel the layers back on the season.

The 2018 season was mostly a lost one for Bundy, but fantasy owners need to remember that, in the first five starts of the season, he had allowed just 35 base runners in 31 2/3 innings and had struck out 40 batters. Bundy also had 184 strikeouts in 171 2/3 innings last season, posting 14 starts where he struck out at least seven batters. No one will sign up for 188 hits allowed or the fact that he allowed seven earned runs in three consecutive August starts, but at least Bundy looks like he has fulfilled his strikeout potential.

In looking at the advanced statistics to pair with Bundy's 2018 season, it appears that Bundy was a tad bit unlucky. His fly ball rate was down year over year (47.2% to 46%), but his home run to fly ball ratio jumped to 17.8%. This ratio came with a drop in hard hit ball rate from 36.5% to 34.6% year over year and could explain his 4.28 xFIP being far lower than his 5.45 ERA. No matter the positives for Bundy, he had the fifth-worst GB% (34%) of qualified pitchers; one could say that Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Gerrit Cole were all successful with GB% under 36, but they all had far better strand rates than Bundy's 69.3%. A 28% hard hit ball rate a 35.9% ground ball rate from 2016 are good signs that show that Bundy can limit damage, as is a .273 BABIP from 2017 than was considerably better than his .316 in 2018. A swinging strike rate (12.7%) in the top-10 is a great sign for Bundy as well.

The biggest issue with Bundy in 2019 is that the Orioles do not have a lot going for them. This will likely suppress any value that Bundy has leading into the draft, but also may cause him to go undrafted. If that is the case, he may be a strong sleeper candidate, considering his huge strikeout potential. At a minimum, it is good to keep Bundy on your mind as a streamer in the early part of the season, but don't be shocked if he winds up as a good stash at the end of the draft.

More 2018 MLB Year In Review Articles




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Kyren Williams

Rams Not Willing to Pay Kyren Williams Top-Market Money?
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Christian Kirk

the No. 2 WR in Houston?
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Jerome Ford

the Likely Starter for Cleveland to Begin 2025
Chig Okonkwo

"Poised" for Best Season of Career
Xavier Watts

Falcons High on Xavier Watts
Xavier Restrepo

Training With Star Wideouts
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups